This invention relates to surgical supplies, health care products, personal hygiene products, and clinical and personal care articles in general. In particular, this invention is directed to devices used in contact with animal, particularly human tissue, including both external and internal tissues, such as dermal tissues, mucus membranes and others. This invention is of particular interest with regard to devices made of natural or synthetic rubbers such as, for example, polyisoprenes, polyurethanes, vinyl plastisols, acrylic polyesters, polyvinylpyrrolidone-polyurethane interpolymers, butadiene rubbers, styrene-butadiene rubbers, acrylate-butadiene rubbers, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubbers, chloroprene rubbers, and rubber latices, in any form which will benefit in use from an additive applied in unbonded manner as a surface coating.
Additives which serve as lubricants are useful for a variety of purposes. On devices such as catheters, condoms, vaginal diaphragms, tampons, ostomy products, prosthetic devices, sponges, cervical caps, and tubing in general, lubricants serve to aid insertion. On devices worn externally such as rubber or plastic sheets, diapers and garments, lubricants enhance comfort to the skin. On surgical rubber gloves, lubricants enhance the ease of use, both inside and outside. Conventional dry lubricants such as talcum and other lubricating powders have a layer-lattice or plate-like structure and entail some friction in use. Many such powders also cause allergic reactions. In most cases, they cannot be used on open wounds since they cause infection. Wet lubricants are problematic since they are difficult to disperse over a wide area in small amounts. In addition, some wet lubricants are physically or chemically incompatible with the substrate by virtue, for example, of their being non-wetting of the substrate surface, or reactive with the substrate (mineral oil, for example, is reactive toward certain natural and synthetic rubbers).
Adjuvants other than lubricants include a wide range of biologically active substances, chemically active substances, and substances supplying their own inherent character to the substrate. These are applicable to devices for surgical use, first aid use, birth control use and personal hygiene use, including those devices listed in the preceding paragraph. Examples of such adjuvants are antiseptics, germicides, antimicrobials, antifungals, anti-infectives, anti-viral agents, anesthetics, spermicides, astringents, coagulants, anticoagulants, deodorants, emollients, moisturizers, astringents, flavors and fragrances. The disadvantage of applying these substances in full strength to the substrate is a high initial effect, followed by a rapid decrease as diffusion to or loss to contacting membranes or tissues occurs, plus instability in some cases due to exposure to the atmosphere. The decline in effectiveness is similar in general to a first order chemical reaction.